Sunny Zhou, sales manager at Taizhou Air-feeder, shows off the firm's new air purifiers at a trade show last month in the Chinese capital Beijing. / Calum MacLeod, USA TODAY

by Calum MacLeod, USA TODAY

by Calum MacLeod, USA TODAY

BEIJING - Cities are taking drastic measures in the latest salvo in China's "war on pollution," from deploying giant cannons spraying water 2,000 feet into the air to dispel smog, to the confiscation of outdoor grills.

Neither initiative seems likely to bring relief to China's long-suffering citizens, who are choking on air pollution so intense that scientists have likened its effects to a nuclear winter.

Clear skies may remain a distant prospect, but more Chinese are taking steps at home to protect their health by purchasing air purifiers and other products to ward off the side effects of the nation's economic boom.

Chinese, U.S. and other foreign firms are scrambling to cash in on the increased awareness of the smog and its high levels of PM2.5 - hazardous airborne particles tiny enough to enter the lungs and bloodstream.

Over the past two years, up to 5% or 6% of households have acquired air purifiers in China's richest cities - Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen - said Lu Lijian, technical manager at Shanghai Biaohui Technology, a new air purifier firm.

"White-collar workers pay more attention to their health now and can afford $320 to $640 for a purifier," he said. "But most consumers still only care whether it's pretty or cheap."

Still, while 27% of U.S. households have air purifiers, just 0.1% own one in China, a Huidian Research report revealed late last year.

Government officials admit China is struggling to meet its pollution emission targets due to heavy dependence on burning coal, rising automobile use and poorly regulated industrial emissions.

The failure to do better is battering its tourist industry. Beijing's now-infamous smog has caused a recent drop in foreign tourist arrivals. U.S. companies report difficulties in recruiting senior executives to work here. Expatriate U.S. kids and Chinese children with foreign passports attend international schools with huge, expensive domes built to allow sporting events that avoid the toxic atmosphere outdoors.

To host a survivable Olympics in August 2008, China shuttered factories and kept cars off roads - for a short period. Awareness of air pollution has risen in the years since, but the nation's air quality has not improved, as economic goals consistently trump environmental targets that officials fear may slow growth.

Chen Tian, Beijing's top environmental official, drew criticism last month when he told a radio program he neither wears face masks nor has an air purifier at home, even though Chen's office instructs Beijing residents to wear them on the city's many smog-filled days.

"He's misleading the people," said Lu, who praised the U.S. Embassy for releasing its own PM2.5 readings in 2008, which led Chinese authorities to reveal nationwide figures that many citizens now check daily. "We can't control the outdoor air, but we can control our home environment. This is still a very new sector for China, and people need time to adapt and understand."

In a sign of changing times, China's most-watched television program, the Lunar New Year gala in January, made an air purifier the heart of a comedy skit. More than 200 manufacturers now crowd a sector that still lacks an official industry standard. Some firms chase good publicity by gifting air purifiers to senior care homes, while others rush to file patents and bad-mouth the competition.

"Even famous brands of air purifiers don't have much effect," claimed Sunny Zhou, sales manager at Taizhou Air-feeder in east China's Zhejiang province. "Many makers just chase profits, but we have a conscience and want to help others."

Tennessee-based Greentech Environmental is preparing to launch in China, said Jason Zhao, its China sales director. The company targets the midrange to high-end buyer, with purifiers from $480 to $1,600.

"Last year was the worst year ever for air pollution," complained Zhao, 48, at an air purifier trade show last month in the capital, where he lives. "Chinese media have started to explain how harmful the small particulate matter can be, and so people care more about air pollution."